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In this blog post, I share the BEST personal finance books for women, most written by women!
This blog post is a list of personal finance books for women that I have read + personally recommend.
Okay, so if you’ve landed on this here blog post, it’s probably because you’re also frustrated with the general offering of what I call, “Personal Finance Land.”
This blog post is a list of personal finance books for women that I have read + personally recommend.
There are a lot of bros in he personal finance space, and a ton of mansplaining. Not only that, but a good chunk of the financial advice that works for men isn’t necessarily a fit for women. We’ve all seen the data on how women make cents on the dollar to men, and it gets even more egregious when we add in race and gender.
It’s messed up!
[Note: This blog post was originally published on January 28, 2021. It was last updated November 22, 2021.]
BEST Personal Finance Books for Women
I’ve been on a ~personal finance journey~ for the last two years, and calling it a “personal finance journey” kind of makes me roll my eyes. But, hey! It’s true! I’ve tackled my credit score, paid off consumer credit card debt, worked with a financial planner, etc!
I’ve tackled my credit score, paid off consumer credit card debt, worked with a financial planner, etc!
And, in the course of doing alllll of that – I’ve also listened to a crap ton of personal finance podcasts and read a LOT of books on money.
Today, I’m sharing my top 8 personal finance books for women. A majority have been written by women, and the last couple are books that didn’t make me want to gouge my eyes out when it came to intersectional feminism.
it’s the little things, am I right?
Right! Let’s get started:
Note for Women Starting Their Education in Personal Finance
Before we get started, I wanted to share a quick note about learning about personal finance , as well as personal development in general. When I assign my coaching clients personal development books, I tell them:
Take what works and leave the rest.
Not everyone is going to be your cup of tea. I don’t want you to do literally anything and everything an author shares with you! I recommend doing a lot of research and sifting through information, and THEN making money moves. Right now, your job is to get just swim in knowledge – and make decisions when you’re ready.
You will never agree 100% with every personal development book you read.
The goal here is to review and read the best personal finance books for women – and THEN use a lot of background knowledge to make decisions. This is a journey, not a sprint!
#1: Personal Finance Book for Women: You Are a Badass at Making Money
Okay, if you’ve hung out with me on the internet for even FIVE minutes, I’ve probably told you about this personal finance book for women. I am OBSESSED with this book, and it CHANGED my freaking LIFE. This is my #1 recommended personal finance book for women!
This is my #1 recommended personal finance book for women!
This book is critical for women (and anyone) who is looking to learn about money, because it was written to help you change your attitude around money and building wealth. Most everyone (likely, you too!) has crappy ideas about money or guilt around it or just weird feelings.
In this personal finance book, Jen Sincero teaches people how to embrace making money – along with the freedom it brings. Managing money starts with emotions and thoughts, and we can’t escape that fact!
Snag this personal finance book for women HERE!
#2: Personal Finance Book for Women: Rachel Rodgers
When I first wrote this list of personal finance books for women, Rachel Rodgers book hadn’t come out yet.
Her book is absolutely life changing. It’s not just on personal finance, but it does cover a lot of great topics. I also so appreciate how Rachel Rodgers includes a discussion of the very real systemic barriers to earning money.
This book is life changing, and it covers topics often ignored by personal finance thought leaders.
Here are a few personal finance topics she covers in the book:
- Why the media is obsessed with telling women to save money, and how that hurts women
- Investing in oneself
- How a bad relationship with money and financial insecurity prompted her to get in a LOT of credit card debt – and how she got out of it
- How having credit card debt (and all debt) doesn’t make you a bad person
- Negotiating a salary
- Earning more money & Buying back time
And more!
I think at this point about 100 people have bought this book because of me. I am SERIOUS about folks reading it!
Get this personal finance book for women here!
#3: Personal Finance Book for Women: Escape by Paula Pant
Okay, SO! I’ve been listening to the Afford Anything podcast for almost 2 years, and this was the SECOND financial podcast I started listening to (after Suze Orman).
Suze Orman can be a bit rigid in her approach (don’t get me started about her war against buying lattes), and Paula Pant allows for more flexibility – while also being freaking REAL about money. A lot of her advice is from her experience saving money to travel the world for a few years, becoming a freelancer and then real estate investor.
She doesn’t have a book through a traditional publisher, but she does have a free ebook, available here.
#4: Personal Finance Book for Women: The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You by Lydia Fenet
Unlike the other books on this list, this book isn’t *strictly* a personal finance book for women.
BUT, this personal finance book for women has some amazing takeaways, specifically about how to ask for a raise as a woman, how to make your way up the corporate ladder – along with some real talk about what doing this will look like behind the scenes – ie, not glamorous at all.
The stories that Lydia Fenet tells about how she had to play hardball to make real money in the New York fine art scene is inspiring, and even better, her advice is ACTIONABLE.
Check out this personal finance book for women HERE!
#5: Personal Finance Book for Women: I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
Okay, so this book is a good one for when you’re ready to make the rubber hit the road. You’ve been listening to podcasts and books from people like Suze, Jen, and Lydia on audio – and you’re not sure where to start with your money.
This personal finance book (the only one on this list written by a man), is a super powerful and implementable PROGRAM to figure out your money. Ramit Sethi spells everything out, and presents next steps so that they’re actionable and clear.
This personal finance book teaches you how to begin tackling your money, giving a step-by-step approach!
I love his scripts on how to reduce credit card debt, and his book was instrumental in me paying off over $5K of consumer credit card debt. There’s no book quite like it, which is why a book written by a man is on a listicle of personal finance books for women. 😉
Check out this personal finance book HERE!
#6: Personal Finance Book for Women: Invested by Danielle & Phil Town
I first found Danielle Town, when I came across a podcast she does with her dad, Phil, called Invested. I was looking to learn about how the stock market works and how to invest in it, and I was OVER white guys yelling about stocks online. No, thank you!
In the podcast, Danielle learns about investing strategies from her Dad, Phil. She asks really great questions, pokes holes in his arguments and it’s just really fun to listen to – and learn from!
This personal finance book for women teaches you how to invest in the stock market.
Danielle then wrote a book on investing, and it really GETS REAL about fear around investing and how gender impacts how one invests. A lot of personal finance books for women don’t include a discussion around how women/girls are socialized – and how that impacts our personal finance and investing decisions. I really appreciate that Danielle discusses this, and shares how she engaged/conquered cultural programming.
Check this personal finance book here!
#7: Personal Finance Book for Women: Mud to Millions by Ayesha Selden
Okay, so technically this book could’ve been earlier in the list. I put it last because Ayesha Selden does NOT mince words. This book is for people who don’t want to just be financially sound. This book is for women who want to be millionaires, and who are ready to make sh*t happen!!!
This personal finance book for women is straight to the point, and emphasizes real estate investing.
It’s a pretty thin book, but DANG. It is packed with knowledge. I first found Ayesha Selden on Twitter, who tweets real strategy and updates on her real estate investing, personal finance and investments. She’s not one of those finance people who uses Twitter for flexes without detail. She GOES into detail, and this book is a masterclass on building wealth.
Note: I’m still on Chapter 2, because it pulls NO PUNCHES. This is not an easy money read.
Snag this personal finance book for women here.
More Personal Finance Blog Posts for Women
Okay, so there’s the roundup of personal finance books for women. If you’d like to read more about my money journey, then check out these blog posts:
- How I Paid Off My Credit Card with $5,000+ Balance at 23% APR
- How I Messed Up My Credit Score (And Am Fixing It!)
- How I Make Money as a Business Consultant with Acuity
- How I’ve Made $20,000 on UpWork as a Freelance Contractor
Want More Real Talk about Money and Personal Finance?
I love tweeting about making money (and Twitter is honestly the best social media platform to learn about money) over HERE. I also love posting updates to my Instagram Story, and I regularly send out finance tips and info to my email list.
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